Baroque church of a Jesuit estancia in Córdoba province, Argentina

The Jesuit’s Intellectual Heart of South America

*Example by 4 travelers in 4★ accommodation, low season. Flights priced separately. Get a quote for 1 to 99+ below

The UNESCO Jesuit sites of Córdoba - The Jesuit’s Intellectual Heart of South America

Córdoba's Jesuit Block and five estancias, as a tour extension

One city block and five estancias, all on the UNESCO list. This trip visits every one. The site is called the Jesuit Block and Estancias of Córdoba, inscribed in 2000: the Manzana Jesuítica in the city, plus Caroya, Jesús María, Santa Catalina, Alta Gracia and La Candelaria in the province.

The Block is the classroom. Its university, founded in 1613, is why Córdoba is called La Docta, the learned city. The estancias are the working side: cattle, sheep and mules at Santa Catalina, looms and bells at Alta Gracia, winemaking at Jesús María.

You start with a night at Estancia La Paz, General Roca’s former residence, where you can ride, take a carriage or row out on the lake. After that, Córdoba is your base. This is a tour extension: combine it with one of our full package tours.

Highlights

  • Santa Catalina's Baroque church on a working ranch
  • Winemaking at Jesús María, then the National Jesuit Museum
  • Estancia Caroya, bought by the Jesuits in 1616
  • The Jesuit Block and its university, founded 1613
  • Alta Gracia's looms, bells and the province's oldest dam
  • Estancia La Candelaria and its cattle-farming legacy

Included

  • All nights accommodations
  • All breakfasts & other meals as mentioned in the itinerary
  • All tours, transfers and transports
  • English-speaking guides

Sample Itinerary

Six saddled horses of various colors stand in a row, tied to wooden posts inside a rustic stable with sand on the ground. Sunlight highlights their coats as they await an adventure tour in Salta, Argentina, with the barn structure visible behind them.
Day 1

Land at Córdoba airport and transfer to Estancia La Paz, General Roca's former residence. The area is yours to discover on horseback, in an old-fashioned carriage or in a rowboat on the lake. Take your pick. Lunch is next, then a visit to Candonga Chapel. The rest of the day is free to explore on your own, and dinner is back at the estancia. The Jesuit sites start tomorrow.

A white Jesuit clock tower rises above trees and a stone wall on the far side of a calm pond, with blue sky and scattered clouds in the background, evoking the Intellectual Heart of South America.
Day 2

Three estancias in a day. First is Santa Catalina, a working ranch for cattle, sheep and mules, with a church in the Baroque-colonial style. Next comes Estancia Jesús María, an estate that specializes in winemaking, and the National Jesuit Museum, where you can follow the Jesuits' influence across the centuries. Then on to Estancia Caroya, in the town of Colonia Caroya. The Jesuits bought it in 1616. Later it was a holiday house for the Colegio Nacional de Monserrat, and later still an arms factory. Lunch is here. Afterward, travel to Córdoba and spend the evening at leisure.

Historic baroque-style Jesuit church with weathered stone walls, arched entrance, and a dome, set against a blue sky. This landmark sits atop a raised platform with stairs, surrounded by stone walls and shrubs in the intellectual heart of South America.
Day 3

Start at the Jesuit Block, the Manzana Jesuítica, in the city. The university here was founded in 1613, and you visit the main facilities: the educational buildings and the churches, which date from the 17th and 18th centuries. Break for lunch. In the afternoon, go to Estancia Alta Gracia, grounds the Jesuits once ran for looms and bell-making. See the church and the tajamar, the oldest dam in the province. Then return to the hotel for dinner.

A historic baroque-style Jesuit cathedral with two tall towers and detailed architecture stands in a plaza, often called the intellectual heart of South America, with people walking and sitting nearby under a partly cloudy sky.
Day 4

The morning goes to Estancia La Candelaria, the fifth and last of the Jesuit estancias on the UNESCO list. It was a cattle estate, a grand one once, and the legacy of that farming is what you come to see. Lunch follows, and then you return to Córdoba. The rest of the day is free. Nothing is scheduled, and after three days of chapels, churches and ranches, you may want exactly that.

A large commercial airplane with ANA livery is taking off against a clear blue sky over Florianopolis, its landing gear still visible.
Day 5

That is the Jesuit Block and all five estancias behind you. Transfer to the airport for your flight home, or on to the next stop in South America. If this extension is attached to one of our full package tours, that flight is where the next piece of the trip begins.

The Jesuit’s Intellectual Heart of South America
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Estimated Tour Price Without Flights

Prices vary according to several factors including: season, number of people traveling, shared vs private excursions, when you book and rooming arrangements. These are from prices based on low season.

We can customize anything for any time of year! Contact us for an exact quote for your trip.

⭐⭐ - ⭐⭐⭐
Budget
From US
Call for Custom Pricing
Per Person
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Basic
From US
$1626
Per Person
⭐⭐⭐⭐➕
Superior 👍
From US
Call for Custom Pricing
Per Person
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Deluxe
From US
Call for Custom Pricing
Per Person

*Budget generally includes excursions in group, Superior & Deluxe private excursions, & Basic is a best mix (varies by itinerary & excurion)

Note: ALL itineraries are 100% customizable to create your perfect trip!

⭐⭐ - ⭐⭐⭐
Budget
From US
Call for Custom Pricing
Per Person
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Basic
From US
$1626
Per Person
⭐⭐⭐⭐➕
Superior 👍
From US
Call for Custom Pricing
Per Person
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Deluxe
From US
Call for Custom Pricing
Per Person

*Budget generally includes excursions in group, Superior & Deluxe private excursions, & Basic is a best mix (varies by itinerary & excurion)

Note: ALL itineraries are 100% customizable to create your perfect trip!

⭐⭐ - ⭐⭐⭐
Budget
From US
Call for Custom Pricing
Per Person
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Basic
From US
$1626
Per Person
⭐⭐⭐⭐➕
Superior 👍
From US
Call for Custom Pricing
Per Person
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Deluxe
From US
Call for Custom Pricing
Per Person

*Budget generally includes excursions in group, Superior & Deluxe private excursions, & Basic is a best mix (varies by itinerary & excurion)

Note: ALL itineraries are 100% customizable to create your perfect trip!

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